Ottawa vendors don't want farmers market moved
Last Updated: Monday, October 26, 2009 | 8:27 PM ET
CBC News
Coun. Rick Chiarelli, who represents College Ward, said the new version of the Lansdowne Live plan incorporates many suggestions made since the original proposal last October. (Sarah Mayes/CBC)Farmers and other vendors who sell their wares at the Ottawa Farmers Market say they don’t want the busy market to be moved.
Developers behind a proposed redevelopment at Lansdowne Park have promised a permanent home for the market but some of the farmers say the plan isn't good enough.
The Ottawa Farmers Market attracts more than 250,000 visitors a year to Lansdowne Park, and market organizers predict that number will quadruple by 2015.
Coun. Clive Doucet said by that measure alone, the future of the market should figure prominently in any decision about the future of Lansdowne Park, which is on Bank Street on the north side of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood.
"They're getting 270,000 visitors right now," he said. "How many people are in that stadium? The farmers market is bringing more people to Lansdowne Park than the football is predicted by a very long shot."
The developers behind the proposed Lansdowne Park project have said there would be a permanent home for the farmers market "in and around the Horticulture Building" once that structure is moved toward the canal.
But the farmers don't want to see their existing venue divided.
They want a long-term lease for the land between the Horticulture Building in its current location, as well as nearby parking space and possible use of the Aberdeen Pavilion.
"You want to know what you're getting into, and if we don't have that assurance it's very hard for us to be involved in the long term," said Andy Terauds, the president of the Ottawa Farmers Market Association.
Terauds said that will help control rents and allow the market to continue to grow into a year-round venture.
The farmers also said they want to sign the deal directly with the city, not with the developers behind the plan.
